Daisy Cooper says ‘over-centralised’ Treasury would be merged with parts of Department for Business and moved to Birmingham
The Liberal Democrats would replace the Treasury and Department for Business with a new department for growth, with the aim of creating a more cohesive and long-term economic vision for the UK, the party has said in a major policy move.
Announcing the plan at a speech in London, Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, said a “Treasury brain” mindset based around short-term fiscal imperatives was dragging the country down.
As part of efforts to rebalance the economy away from the dominance of London, the new department would be based in Birmingham, Cooper said.
The policy announcement is the Lib Dems’ biggest since the general election. Some of the party’s MPs had complained about an overly cautious and policy-light approach under Ed Davey since the party secured 72 MPs in 2024.
